ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan lacks adequate waste management infrastructure, the use of waste plastic in road construction can be both economical and environment-friendly, said Dr Abdullah, Chief of Research at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).
Talking to WealthPK, he said given Pakistan’s economic outlook and environmental challenges, replacing asphalt roads with the plastic roads in the long-run can be a viable option.
“Plastic roads can absorb sound, thereby reducing noise pollution caused by heavy traffic on the asphalt roads.
However, Pakistan faces a lack of technical guidance and investments in construction of plastic roads on a large scale.”
“Waste plastic can be used as an asphalt modifier, which not only extends the material’s life but also reduces its environmental impacts.
There have been improvements in engineering performance parameters as a result of the incorporation of plastic wastes into asphalt mixtures,” Dr Abdullah explained.
He said Pakistan’s plastic road construction initiative appears to be a welcome move, suggesting that adjusting the methodology/material composition, monitoring of traffic density (vehicles/day) on the plastic road should be considered before building such roads in the cities.
It is to be recalled here that in September 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Capital Development Authority, which is the civic agency of Islamabad; Coca-Cola Pakistan-Afghanistan and the National Incubation Centre to begin working on options of building plastic roads.
Under the agreement, two plastic roads in Islamabad have been under testing/monitoring and evaluation since October 2021.
Recycling of almost 10 tonnes of plastic waste was carried out on a kilometre-long patch of road along the Ataturk Avenue in Islamabad at a cost of Rs21 million.
Engineers are continuing to test and evaluate the plastic road to see the impact of extreme climatic conditions (heavy rain/monsoon, cold and hot temperatures) on its condition.
The new roads are expected to be cheaper, stronger and last longer than traditional non-plastic asphalt roads.
After these techniques are tested and proven to be successful, the plastic technology will be applied fully in Islamabad and other cities.
Several case studies and reviews of research and development studies conducted in the country demonstrate that waste plastic binders and mixtures have gained rapidly increasing attention due to their engineering performance, economic benefits and eco-friendly characteristics.
Following the research and case studies conducted in other countries, it is recommended that the experimental plastic roads be further improved in terms of their construction methods and material composition to maximise road quality, performance, economic benefits, and environmental benefits.
Close cooperation and collaboration with Chinese companies and research institutes should be sought to take advantage of China’s experience and technological advancement in plastic road construction.
INP
